Tokay Geckos are a pain in the $#@

Thanks to some detective work on my mother's behalf, I have found out that Charlotte the spider is a non-poisonous St. Andrew's Cross Spider and that the amphibian that I found was identified as a Tokay Gecko. Thanks, Mom!

Charlotte, I read, gets her (and it is a her) name from the cross pattern that she adds to the web. The cross adds an ultraviolet sheen to the trap, which is the same type of light used by flowers (although for a less violent cause) to attract bugs. Tokay Geckos are the largest type of gecko and are known for their beautiful markings and surly nature. They are known to bite, draw blood, and not let go unless submerged in water. Wonderful. This little nugget of information came in very handy at one in the morning, as you will see.

So for Mr. Tokay, he's proving to be a bit of a problem. According to Wikipedia, the "chirp" is actually called a "bark", which is a lot better word to use because it really is quite loud, and the barking has been happening more often, about ten times a night in roughly half-hour intervals. I finally jumped out of bed last night to chase him away and found that he'd discovered a Mrs. Tokay and was probably serenading her, or perhaps they were signing duets. Whatever the reason, I couldn't sleep and chased them over the wall of my room with a broom. (The wall doesn't meet the roof.)

A few minutes later (right after I crawled into my bug net, actually) they were back in full force. We played tag for about an hour before I finally gave up and let them bark at each other for the rest of the night. At first the thing would run when it was poked it with the stick, but eventually it was like "Yeah, right, whatever bitch. You ain't gunna do nothing. AW-AWK! AW-AWK!!!"

The next morning the other volunteer, Emmett, found the larger one hiding behind his bookcase. Mafia-style, we shoved it into my suitcase with a stick and took it far, far, far away and ditched it the little fucker where it can bark all night-- or perhaps hike back.